A method and apparatus for automatic delivery of a phone call on an electronic device regardless of whether other tasks are running on the operating system. A separate background task (“thread”), independent of the operating system, enables telephony functionality without regard to the mode of a graphical user interface. The background task is always active and functions to respond to an incoming call even if the user is in a graphical user interface window that requires some input from the user (e.g. the graphical user interface is blocked).
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. In a portable electronic device having an operating system, a method for automatically delivering a phone call, said method comprising the steps of: a) monitoring for incoming phone calls by a background task interfacing directly with the telephony functionality of said device, said background task always active, said device's operating system including at least one graphical user interface; b) detecting said incoming phone call by said background task; c) notifying said operating system of said incoming phone call by said background task; and d) said background task notifying a user of said device of said incoming phone call irrespective of the user's activity on said device.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the portable electronic device is a cellular phone.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the portable electronic device is a portable computer system.
4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the portable computer system is a palmtop computer.
5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the portable computer system is a laptop computer.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said background task receives said incoming phone call.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein said background task notifies said graphical user interface of said incoming phone call.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein said graphical user interface is updated and includes an image of a cell phone keypad and digitry.
9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein said graphical user interface is blocked.
10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein said graphical user interface is partially blocked, whereby said user may continue said activity or initiate a new activity on said device.
11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said graphical user interface offers an answering option to said user.
12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said answering option comprises an option to transfer incoming phone call to a different electronic device.
13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said incoming phone call includes video information.
14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein said graphical user interface displays said video information.
15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the portable electronic device is a television system.
16. A computer-readable medium storing instructions for controlling a portable electronic device having an operating system, the instructions related to delivering a phone call to the electronic device, the instructions comprising: a) monitoring for incoming phone calls by a background task interfacing directly with the telephony functionality of said device, said background task always active, said device's operating system including at least one graphical user interface; b) detecting said incoming phone call by said background task; c) notifying said operating system of said incoming phone call by said background task; and d) said background task notifying a user of said device of said incoming phone call irrespective of the user's activity on said device.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
July 11, 2006
April 28, 2009
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